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Magnetization and AC susceptibility measurements have been performed on ∼3 nm NiO nanoparticles in powder form. The results indicate that the structure of the particles can be considered as consisting of an antiferromagnetically ordered core, with an uncompensated magnetic moment, and a magnetically disordered surface shell. The core magnetic moments block progressively with decreasing temperature, according to the distribution of their anisotropy energy barriers, as shown by a broad maximum of the low field zero-field-cooled magnetization (M(ZFC)) and in the in-phase component χ' of the AC susceptibility, centred at ∼70 K. On the other hand, surface spins thermally fluctuate and freeze in a disordered spin-glass-like state at much lower temperature, as shown by a peak in M(ZFC) (at 17 K, for H = 50 Oe) and in χ'. The temperature of the high temperature χ' peak changes with frequency according to the Arrhenius law; instead, for the low temperature maximum a power law dependence of the relaxation time was found, τ = τ(0)(T(g)/(T(ν)-T(g)))(α), where α = 8, like in spin glasses, τ(0) = 10(-12) s and T(g) = 15.9 K. The low temperature surface spin freezing is accompanied by a strong enhancement of magnetic anisotropy, as shown by the rapid increase of coercivity and high field susceptibility. Monte Carlo simulations for core/shell antiferromagnetic particles, with an antiferromagnetic core and a disordered shell, reproduce the qualitative behaviour of the temperature dependence of the coercivity. Interparticle interactions lead to a shift to a high temperature of the distribution of the core moment blocking temperature and to a reduction of magnetization dynamics.

This paper focuses on the magnetic properties of CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles, discussing the influence of nanoparticles arrangements obtained by different synthesis methods. Using high thermal decomposition (HTD) and direct micellar (DM) routes, three samples of CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles with equal primary particle size (∼5 nm) were prepared. The HTD method allows one to obtain highly crystalline primary nanoparticles coated by oleic acid organized in a self-assembling arrangement (ACoFe HTD ). The DM method results to be appropriate to prepare either irregular arrangements (IACoFe DM ) or spherical iso-oriented nanoporous assemblies (SACoFe DM ) of primary CoFe 2 O 4 nanocrystals. Despite the same particle size, magnetization measurements of the HTD sample show a tendency toward cubic anisotropy (M r / M s ≈ 0.7), while in DM samples, a uniaxial anisotropy (M r /M s ≈ 0.4) is observed. The comparison between IACoFe DM and SACoFe DM samples indicates that the ordering of nanocrystals at the mesoscopic scale induces an increase of the coercive field (μ 0 H c ≈ 1.17 T → μ 0 H c ≈ 1.45 T) and of the reduced remanent magnetization (M r /M s ≈ 0.4 → M r /M s ≈ 0.5). The reason for these differences is discussed. In particular, a detailed study on interparticle interactions is carried out, highlighting the influence of the molecular coating and the formation of spherical iso-oriented assemblies.

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This paper focuses on the study of the magnetic properties of 9 nm magnetite nanocrystals. XRD and TEM measurements indicate the presence of crystalline particles, with a fraction of them only partially crystallized or highly defective. The analysis of the temperature dependence of the zero-field-cooled/field-cooled magnetization and of the thermoremanent magnetization provides evidence of the existence of three magnetic regimes: a high temperature regime (300-100 K), an intermediate regime (100-20 K), and a low temperature regime (below 20 K). The characteristics of such regimes are discusse

The magnetic properties of ultra-small (~2 nm) δ-(Fe(0.67)Mn(0.33))OOH nanoparticles prepared by a microemulsion technique have been investigated by magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements at variable frequency. The results provide evidence of two different magnetic regimes whose onset is identified by two maxima in the zero-field-cooled susceptibility: a large one, centered at ~150 K (T(mh)), and a narrow one at ~30 K (T(ml)). The two temperatures exhibit a different frequency dependence: T(mh) follows a Vogel-Fulcher law τ = τ(0)exp[(E(a)/k(B))/(T-T(0))], indicating a blocking of weakly interacting nanoparticle moments, whereas T(ml) follows a power law τ = τ(0)(T(g)/T(mν)-T(g))(α), suggesting a collective freezing of nanoparticle moments (superspin-glass state). This picture is coherent with the field dependence of T(ml) and T(mh) and with the temperature dependence of the coercivity, strongly increasing below 30 K.

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